Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-23
HENRY WILLARD.
Gossip About This Remarkable
Man.

A New York correspondent of tn,
Omaha Herald writes as follows:
edo you know that pan owe
there ?" asked brokerin Delmonico'i
the other day. He indicated a larg,
man with German cast of features
quietly taking his lunch at one of the
small tables on the first floor Of Del
monico's Proad street establishment
1t is here that brokers and financiers
come for hasty lunch, when they
have no time for more leisure re-
past upstairs. Crowds are constantly
surging through from Broad to New
street, either making the long
tesselated room public highway to
the rear entrance OF the stock exchange
or stopping at the bar, or standing il
long row at the lunch counter, oil
chatting at the cigar stand, or eagerly
watching the stock Indicator. In the
rush and hustle of the crowd the
heavy faced German at one of the
little side tables w uld hardly have
been noticed. A glance showed him
TO be one who is known on two III
tinents as an intrepid financier. II
was Henry Willard. Public attention
has again been drawn to him from the
fact that he has again become Il
director in the Northern Pacific rail
road. He is native OF Blvaria, and
is now about so years of age. He
came to this country some years
before the war, and went west, where
he became connected with German
newspaper. Henry Wizards real
name is Heinrich Hilgarde. On en-
tering the Union Army at the out
break of the war mistake was made
In entering his name. The recruiting
sergeant understood him to give it as
Willard instead of Hilgarde. The
name Heinrich could of course be
very correctly anglicized as Henry,
and finding himself entered as Willard
he thereafter retained that name. 1t
recalls the fact that U. S. Grant was
U. ii. Grant until the Congressman
who secured his appointment as a
cadet at West Point changed the
initials in making out the necessary
papers. There has been some gossip
to Mr.. Wizards detriment growing
out OF this change of name, but there
was no sinister reason for the altera-
uon, and no romance can be built
upon it.. subsequently he became a
war correspondent for New York
evening paper, and still later acted as
washington correspondent for the
same journal. While in Washington
he became identified with the
Northern Pacific enterprise through
MS influence with capitalists, who
invested large sums in what was at
first blind pool. Willard said to
them, i've got a big thing and /
want you to put some money into it,
but l can't tell you what it is at
present" Jaw Cooke had dropped
the Northern Pacific and his other en-
terprlses a bankrupt in 1873. His
creditors left him his Northern
facitic stock, which was considered
OF no value, and also considerable
property in Duluth, which WIS then
considered mere skeleton city, but
OF which jay Cooke predicted that it
would yet become one of the great
grain markets of the northwest. This
prediction, by the way, has been veri-
fed. Property worth in 1873 a song
Us now worth millions.
Well, it was through the purchase
OF Jay Cookies interest and that OF
others in the Northern Pacific that
came to the front. He pushed
the railroad forward, and drove the
golden spike, OF which the world has
heard so much. Then came the re-
action difficulties beset the road, the
value of the stock steadily declined,
in spite of the glowing prophecies as
to its future, and in the end Henry
Willard stepped down from his seat OF
power as a railroad prince, shorn OF
his honors and his fortune, and broken
in health. He was at one time said
to be worth $40, ,OOO,O 600.
The reporter had rubbed Aladdin's
lamp to some purpose to acquire such
u fortune.
He. now returned to his native land,
and in time regained his health.
About a year ago he returned to this
took an office in the great
Mills building, on Broad street. and
proceeded quietly to push his way
back into the financial arena to meet
The other great railroad gladiators.
He was backed by wealthy bankers
Of Berlin. Now, at length, he is again
in the Northern Pacific directorate,
not as q dead clod on horseback in
CHASTITY semblance of life, but a genu-
inc live leader, with the sinews of
financial life at his command, and a
cleared field for operations. He has
some big loans already in
with enterprises in the
and now he seems TO be
arranging for loan of some 10000
300 to the Northern Pacific. He is on
lis way to financial reha bilitaiion.
In person he is tall and powerfully
built. wears a heavy dark mustache,
has black hair, and is inclined to
badness. The eyes are gray, pene-
trating and rather forbidding, the
features are heavy, the jaw firm, and
the whole lace suggests Bismarck. 1t
is that of a man of blood and iron.
His manners are taciturn. He is not
a gentleman in the ordinary accepta-
tion of the term at times he seems as
rude and as rough as Teutonic savage
Of a thousand years ago, the ancient,
half naked barbarian by some strange
chance appearing in the broadcloth
and silk hat of the modern financier.
This brutality of manner has made
him many enemies, but his unques-
toned ability, his tireless persever-
ance, certain rough magnetism and
iron resolution have recommended
him to men OF money, in spite of his
first failure with the Northern Pacific,
and once more he grasps the reins of
power.
He is living very quietly in this city
with his wife, the daughter of the late
Lloyd Garrison, the anti
slavery agitator. He has several
children and is exemplary in his
domestic relations. He is quite fine
pianist, and accompanies his eldest
daughter on the violoncello. In the
heydey of his former prosperity he
built house on Madison avenue,
Al .~..lI